Sell me on the Carribbean

I know it sounds weird, but make me believe it's not all the same.

I get it...it's warm and tropical and beaches and rum drinks.....but it seems each stop, for the most part, is the same.

There are a few itineraries I am looking at....Grand Cayman(been there and enjoyed it), Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Cozumel(been there...it's a Mexican tourist town).

Tell me how St Kitts and St Thomas aren't very similar stops.

Again, there are a few stops that sound intriguing. I've been to Cozumel, Cancun, and all of the touristy stops in MX in that general area. I've been to Cayman and enjoyed the snorkeling. I've been to Montego Bay and have had my fill of Jamaica. What's different about St, Kitts, Aruba, Bahamas, USVI?

I'm asking because most of these place are cruise ports and I hate to limit my travel but I also hate to pay for a cruise with 3-4 of the same stops. I know the Caribbean is the party place and I do my share of drinking on the boat as well, but I want to see things. I don't want to stop if the only real difference is a beach with pink sand.

Go on a cruise in Europe. All the island are the same, there is little to see except vendors pushing cheap things and a beach with drinks.

If you've been to Cozumel, Jamaica & Grand Caymen and can't see any differences then I doubt you'd see any differences elsewhere in the Caribbean.;)

Dry & barren islands thru to lush rain-forested islands and lakes & mangroves.

Islands where the highest point above sea level is a church spire thru to islands with mountains & extinct volcanos.

Quite primitive islands & places thru to over-developed islands & places (Cozumel!!).

Islands steeped in British history. Or Dutch. Or French. Or Spanish. Or native pre-colonial.

The loungers on the beach, the drinks in your glass, the toys & the boats in the sea, & most of the stalls are pretty-much the same.

Time for you to dig deeper ;)

And I don't mean deeper in the sand :D

JB :)

Okay, then go to Bermuda, as that is not Caribbean.

Hop in your car and visit the good ole USA.:)

Sell you on the Caribbean? The only person who cares where you go on vacation is you. Try researching to find someplace you would enjoy.

If you've been to Cozumel, Jamaica & Grand Caymen and can't see any differences then I doubt you'd see any differences elsewhere in the Caribbean.;)

 

Dry & barren islands thru to lush rain-forested islands and lakes & mangroves.

Islands where the highest point above sea level is a church spire thru to islands with mountains & extinct volcanos.

Quite primitive islands & places thru to over-developed islands & places (Cozumel!!).

Islands steeped in British history. Or Dutch. Or French. Or Spanish. Or native pre-colonial.

 

The loungers on the beach, the drinks in your glass, the toys & the boats in the sea, & most of the stalls are pretty-much the same.

Time for you to dig deeper ;)

And I don't mean deeper in the sand :D

 

JB :)

Yes, there are differences between the 3 I listed....but Jamaica was a dump and many of the places are very commercialized.

I just got back from a Med tour and it was amazing. The buildings in Rome and Athens were enormous. I've read the history and didn't really do a tour, I wanted to see the massive structure. It was truly an amazing trip...3 continents, 5 countries round trip in 14 days. Sitting in a street cafe in Rome is different than sitting in a cafe in Mykonos. How different are they in Aruba compared to St Croix?

If I am looking to travel and see different people/cultures, I need to know what to budget. Caribbean cruises allow domestic airfare. Am I missing something in the Caribbean? Are the cultures that different in the islands? Or will my trip look like snorkeled on this island, parasailed on this island, zip-lined through the jungle on this island, drank a lot and went home?

Please, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking this vacation. I'm simply asking if there is more to the islands than meets the eye. From my experience, and from both good and bad reviews I have read, they seem similar.

I agree with the op. But to me the weather during winter is the main redeeming value even if the sights and experience otherwise grow a little stale.

I agree with the op. But to me the weather during winter is the main redeeming value even if the sights and experience otherwise grow a little stale.

I'll give you this one...especially since I am in Chicago. However, Australia and NZ are in the midst of summer during our winter.

I get that is a larger cost but that is the reason for my question...do I save money and swim with dolphins and stingrays or pay a little more for kangaroos...ok, maybe a lot more. Is there something about the bulk of the Caribbean stops that I am overlooking

We've been on multiple Caribbean cruises--maybe 20? or more, and yes, sometimes the islands get to seeming much alike. We do love it for the weather--we cruise in winter, the beautiful scenery and the ability to relax. We love the Med too, but not in the winter. The Caribbean is also at least half-way easy/affordable to get to from Nebr., compared to , say, Tahiti, or other more exotic warm ports.

We mostly do not do the usual shopping/drinking/eating activities in port because that's just not our thing. Maybe a little shopping for kid souvenirs. Some ports we just like to get out and walk. Some we go to a beach and just hang out. Some we find excursions, especially ones we haven't done before.

I can still find fun things to do even in, say, Cozumel, where we have been several times, by using the ports of call boards here or the internet. The islands we love best are the more 'nature' or less commercialized islands like Grenada or Dominica for the nature tours, but I'm still fine with spending some time on a beach in Jamaica or St. Thomas.

We look for things that are adventurous and unusual but sometimes it is just nice to relax on a beach and do nothing.

Okay, then go to Bermuda, as that is not Caribbean.

I was going to suggest Bermuda as well. Were just there for a second time in July. Loved it so much we hope to go back next year.

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Why would a forum full of people who don't know you 'sell you' on the Caribbean? I wouldn't want to suggest you spend your time and money on a vacation that doesn't suit you.

You've been to the Caribbean enough to make that choice,,,,, No?

You are right...all most all of the islands are similar. Aruba is different, as it's a true "desert island"....it is NOT lush...it's dry and barren, except where plantings are watered!

There aren't as many "historical" things to see as in, say, Europe or the Med....

If you aren't into beaches, and tropical weather, don't go! That's mainly what you get in the Caribbean!

Sell you on the Caribbean? The only person who cares where you go on vacation is you. Try researching to find someplace you would enjoy.

I'm with you -- can't see any reason at all to sell a anyone on anything. You either want to go or you don't.

I was done after the first one, but ended up doing east, west and south -- now I am really done.

Why does it have to be either the Caribbean or the Europe? Try SE Asia - weather should be perfect for the next few months:)

Otherwise, there's a big world out there - have a look at your atlas and pick your spot:cool:

Why does it have to be either the Caribbean or the Europe? Try SE Asia - weather should be perfect for the next few months:)

Otherwise, there's a big world out there - have a look at your atlas and pick your spot:cool:

it doesn't have to be the Caribbean or Europe...Asia looks amazing as well...it's just the Caribbean allows budgeting for domestic flights. It's hard to justify a 7 day cruise with the price and length of international travel.

it doesn't have to be the Caribbean or Europe...Asia looks amazing as well...it's just the Caribbean allows budgeting for domestic flights. It's hard to justify a 7 day cruise with the price and length of international travel.

Yes, for 7 days just not worth the flying. Perhaps roll over your trip and go for a longer period at a later date? Or do a cheapie for now just to break the winter up?

Sell you on the Caribbean? The only person who cares where you go on vacation is you. Try researching to find someplace you would enjoy.

I concur.

I'm not going to sell anyone on the Caribbean. I just want to say that, in my humble opinion, every stop there is different.

Let's take St. Thomas and St. Kitts, for example. St. Thomas is a U.S. territory. Before we bought it, it was controlled by Denmark. You can see the influence of both if you look hard. St. Kitts ping-ponged between the French and the English a few times before settling into English hands. They're now an independent country. This is the sort of thing you can find out from the locals on an island tour, or you can research the history online using your favorite search engine. It's not as much history, but each place has a story to tell.

It appears you're from Chicago. IF you're planning to go in the winter, in the Caribbean it's 80 degrees, the sun's out and the beach is beckoning. Wasn't it below zero for like , 25 days in a row last winter? And you need to be "sold"?!?!?!?!? We go every winter on a Caribbean cruise and it's way more fun and less expensive then flying to an island for 2 weeks. More often then not....we don't even get off the ship, anymore!

I know it sounds weird, but make me believe it's not all the same.

 

I get it...it's warm and tropical and beaches and rum drinks.....but it seems each stop, for the most part, is the same.

 

There are a few itineraries I am looking at....Grand Cayman(been there and enjoyed it), Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Cozumel(been there...it's a Mexican tourist town).

 

Tell me how St Kitts and St Thomas aren't very similar stops.

 

Again, there are a few stops that sound intriguing. I've been to Cozumel, Cancun, and all of the touristy stops in MX in that general area. I've been to Cayman and enjoyed the snorkeling. I've been to Montego Bay and have had my fill of Jamaica. What's different about St, Kitts, Aruba, Bahamas, USVI?

 

I'm asking because most of these place are cruise ports and I hate to limit my travel but I also hate to pay for a cruise with 3-4 of the same stops. I know the Caribbean is the party place and I do my share of drinking on the boat as well, but I want to see things. I don't want to stop if the only real difference is a beach with pink sand.

Time to head to the Pacific- many volcanic islands with interesting cultures and food to match. I'd start with a land vacation to Kauai.

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Most of the time the cruise ship is our real destination. It doesn't matter to us which islands we will be going to. If it stops in Jamaica, we'll definitely be staying on the ship. If it's one of the islands we like, we'll grab a cab, bus, or water ferry to a beach or else go shop a little bit.

St. Kitts used to be unspoiled. Our first cruise to there was more than a dozen years ago during the Christmas season. I was disappointed when we went back and found the Diamonds International and other shops that you see on every island. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a good snorkeling excursion there the second time.

I just got back from a Caribbean cruise, repositioning from San Juan to Miami. We visited St. Croix, Martinique (a little bit of France in the Caribbean), Grenada, Dominica & Grand Turk (desert, salt flats, wild horses, and we had a blast on a dune buggy excursion), all ports to which we hadn't been. Well, we had been to Dominica, but it is a beautiful rain-forest island with hot springs, boiling lakes, lots of waterfalls and 365 rivers (some very cold!).

I'm Caribbean'd out (for now), but it was nice to see the differences (and similarities) between the islands and to hear about the history. We never put on our bathing suits and never sat on a single beach, though we did have rum, since we toured several distilleries.

I'm looking forward to visiting Aruba on our Panama Canal partial transit next year. We've never been there.

If you head away from the shopping and beaches, that's where the interesting stuff is. We enjoyed a 4-wheeling jeep excursion in Cozumel a few years ago. The only shops we hit were a potty break midway across the island and the duty-free for some Kahlua on the way back onto the ship...

We did Norway in May and have done a few Med, Hawaii, Alaska...the Caribbean for us isn't our favorite, but it is less stressful because of the ease of getting there, no jet lag and no stress to fill our days with 11 hour excursions. I love Europe, but there's so much THERE there.

I also enjoy the boat ride. May or may not explore beyond the port. The Pacific would be attractive except for requiring endurance of the worst of the horrors of flying. Forget that. I am likely to try the Hawaii round trip out of LA or SF this winter.

So much depends upon interests. When we travel, we want to explore and we have done this on Caribbean islands as well as in the U.S, Canada, and Europe.

While exploring Caribbean islands, we have noted more differences than similarities -once we get away from the commercial areas. We read up on the islands before choosing a Caribbean itinerary and we have had good experiences.